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Our Flagship Event
IngenuityFest
Ingenuity Cleveland was conceived as IngenuityFest - a multi-day, multi-venue event exploring unlikely places and perspectives and inviting Ohio residents and tourists to re-discover the city as alive and vibrant. IngenuityFest celebrated the post-industrial landscape and re-animated vacant storefronts & abandoned alleys that had long been ignored with a cross-pollination of arts, technology, and entrepreneurship. Over the years, the Festival moved from Public Square to Gateway/East 4th Street, Playhouse Square, the Cleveland State University campus, the Streetcar level of the Detroit Superior Bridge, and finally to Cleveland’s NorthCoast Harbor, before settling in St. Clair-Superior in our current home, a 6-acre, 100 year-old formerly dormant factory.
IngenuityFest includes immersive artwork; exhibits in technology & innovation; artisan vendors; educational offerings and half a dozen stages featuring hundreds of musicians, dancers, poets, and performances of all types.
What to Expect from
Ingenuityfest 2026?!
Each year, IngenuityFest takes place during the last full weekend in September. This year, we’ll celebrate the theme America Dreams from September 25–27, 2026, once again transforming Cleveland with art, music, technology and innovation.
As we close out our 21st anniversary season of programming, we’re also celebrating a major milestone: a 100,000-square-foot expansion of IngenuityLabs, Cleveland’s home for creativity and innovation. Festival guests will be invited to explore the newly expanded footprint through 10 themed festival villages, including experiences centered around Forging & Fire Arts, Making & Technology and hands-on activities in Family Village.
Interested in participating in 2026 IngenuityFest: America Dreams? Fill out our intake form to get started in one of the following categories:
Exhibiting Artist
Interactive public experience, not for selling
Tabling Vendor or Exhibitor
Artisan maker, edible goods, corporate or nonprofit
Food Truck / Food Vendor
Food prepared and served on site
Performer
Band, musician or other live performance
Take a look at our IngenuityFest 2025 page for a look at last year's festival and check out our Previous Year's Festivals page to remember all the fun from 2024 and earlier!
Location & Accessibility
IngenuityFest took place at IngenuityLabs @ the Hamilton Collaborative (5401 Hamilton Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115).Â
For individuals with disabilities arriving by shuttle, taxi, Uber, accessible transport van or private vehicle, a reserved accessible drop off zone will be located at the Main Festival entrance on 53rd street.
Accessible parking spaces will also be reserved in the Staff/VIP/Artist, directly across from the 5401 Hamilton Avenue address. Additional off-site parking will be provided in a section of Ingenuity’s general audience parking. We are continually making accessibility improvements to our site including providing elevator service to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors, addressing challenging areas of asphalt and providing numerous accessible restrooms on the ground level. However, our site still contains areas of uneven terrain including gravel, stairs, and some passageways or art installations that may be narrower or challenging to access. We will make every attempt to accommodate you.
For more accessibility information, questions about access, or for assistance on the festival site, please email info@ingenuitycleveland.org
Vehicle Logistics
PARKING:
Street parking is abundant in the area surrounding the Festival, but a lot will be available for $5. The lot is located at 5000 Lakeside Ave. Parking is always at attendee's own risk and Ingenuity is not responsible for any loss, theft, or damage.
RIDESHARING:
Consider taking an Uber or Lyft! The Festival is located at 5401 Hamilton Avenue. However, the designated rideshare dropoff address is 1279 E. 53rd Street.
Live Nearby?
BIKE to the Fest: Bike parking will be available at the 53rd Street gate only. Attendees will need to bring their own locks.
Sustainability
Ingenuity is striving to make our Festival low-waste. There will be many water refilling stations throughout the site, so attendees are encouraged to bring their reusable water bottles. All water is filtered. There will also be reusable bottles available for purchase at the event.
Beverage partners include Goldhorn Brewery and Watershed Distillery. All drinks will be served in recyclable aluminum cans or in recyclable cups when possible.
Sustainability volunteers will be on-premises to assist guests in separating compost, recycling and landfill-trash with signage to help identify what goes where. Ingenuity's longtime partners, Rust Belt Riders will be handling our compostables.
Festival FAQ's
Get the 411 on the festival weekend
Didn't find what you were looking for? Check here for more answers to frequently asked questions. Still have a question? Reach out to us at info@ingenuitycleveland.org!
IngenuityFest 2026 will take place September 25-27, 2026 at IngenuityLabs (5401 Hamilton Avenue).
Hours are as follows:
Friday, September 25: 6PM - 1AM
Saturday, September 26: 1PM - 1AM
Sunday, September 27: 1PM - 6PM
IngenuityFest costs $36.65 per person to produce. If you are able to bear the full cost of your ticket, please do so, so that we may thrive long into the future! However, we offer the full weekend pass at a reduced cost of $15 through July 31st, and from August 1st through the festival weekend, weekend passes are just $25 to ensure that this amazing experience reaches as many people as possible. Day passes are priced at $10 and $15 respectively and same dates apply.
Children 12 & under are FREE!
Tickets at bit.ly/IngenuityFest2025
Street parking is abundant in the area surrounding the Festival, but a $5 parking lot will be available at a 5000 Lakeside Ave. Parking is always at attendee's own risk and Ingenuity is not responsible for any loss, theft, or damage.
IngenuityFest is a family-friendly event, and children are encouraged to attend. Children 12 and under are given free admission to the Festival with the purchase of at least 1 adult ticket.
Parents should be aware that after 9pm, The Ingenuity Cabaret features more adult-oriented content including comedy (9-11 pm) and variety (after 11 pm), and is restricted to 18+. These areas will be marked with explanatory signage and separated from the general audience, but, as always, the safety and well-being of children remains the parent’s responsibility.
With the exception of service animals, IngenuityFest is not animal friendly. Kindly leave your pets at home. The Festival takes place primarily indoors and can get crowded and uncomfortable for dogs and some of the people around them.
Our event site is a former industrial site that does include rough surfaces, uneven flooring, areas of lower light and other potential hazards, and we have made efforts to identify and address areas of concern. The warehouse, which has been an active workspace for more 100 years, also maintains its "Cleveland Grit" and can be inherently a bit dirty. We recommend visitors wear sturdy shoes (rather than high heels or flip flops) and dress in layers, as our old warehouse can be very hot or chilly, depending on the weather!
Stage schedules are still being finalized. Stay tuned to this page and our Facebook page. Stage schedules will be posted in both places as we get closer to the event.Â